Sanding device for automotive vehicles



March 16, 1954 L. A. WERBE 2,673.3"

SANDING ozvzca FOR AUTOMOTIVE vsmcuzs Filed Feb. 18. 1950 2 shuulhat 3 nlllllllllllllllll mm" louz'sfl, Werbe INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 16, 1954 A. WERBE SANDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18. 1950 Louis A.Werbe INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SANDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Louis ,A. iWerbe, Flint, iMich. Application-February 18, 1950, SerialNo. 144,997 2 Claims. (Cl. 291-3) The present invention relates to sanding devices cf the type used on motor vehicles for htaining traction on rs ippery roadways; and aims to provide a novel and improved device of this character which applies sand or other gritty material to the roadway and drive wheels of the vehicle directly in advancecf contact of the Wheels with the roadway, which can be conveniently operated from the driver's seat while the vehicle is in motion, which is simple and substantial in construction, which can be manufactured economically, and which will be thoroughly .efiicient and practical in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sanding device in aQcordance with the -preceding object which is of afconstructionand arrangement with respect to-the cons ruction of an automotive vehicle wherebythe device will occupy a space in thevehicle at-allocation directly in back of the rear seat and substantially above and between the drive wheels, of th vehicle so as to minimize the distancesto the'points of sand dispersement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sanding device as setforthyin the preceding objects wherein the device is supported inan elevated position above'theffioor o-f the-trunk compartmen-t and is provided with sand conducting conduits diverging immediately therefrom asthey extend downwardly towards the {rear wheels of the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sanding device in conformity-with the last above-mentioned object, wherein thesandi-ng {device is attached and supported in'the elevated -poat the deck lid. hinges of the trunk eompartrnentj A further object of the invention is to provide a sanding device in accordance with -the preceding objects which may be readily {anpliedto an automotive vehicle with the minimum of effort and labor and with least alterations of vehicle parts i v i. I p

A further object of the invention is to locate a sanding device in th trunk compartment of an automotive vehicle where it occupiesithe' minimum amount of space normally used for haggage, does not interfere with the'loading andunloading of baggage in the trunk compartment, and where it can be conveniently refilledwith sand upon raising ihedeck lidlof the-trunk compartment. v

,A still further .object of the invention is the provision of a .novel -and improved .sand controllineend pressure smi ten-me ha ism i sition by the baggage'guards 2 common mixing chamber into which both sand and air are admitted separately and from which they are expelled togeth r, said sand being depos ted through ,a metering mechanism in equal amounts from a hopper into opposite ends of the mixing chamber and directly over sand and air outlet openings, while the air under pressure enters the chamber at a location between both sets of sand inlets and outlets for forcing the sand under pressure through the outlets.

These, together with various auxiliary features and objects of the invention which will later -be come apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention,a preferred embodiment of which has beenillustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fra mentar side .elevation and sectional view, parts being broken away, of the rear portion of an automotive vehicle illustrating the manner in which the sanding device of the present invention is applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a rear View of same with the hinged lid of the trunk compartment raised to show the sanding device in rear elevation;

Figur 3 is an enlarged side elevation of sanding device as shown in Figure 1 with parts broken away and in an inoperative position Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows with part in operative positions;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line S- 5 of Figure 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows with the sand valve open; and

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon theplane of the section line 6-6 of Figure 3, looking in a downward direction whenthe deviceis notjn operation.

Referring now more specifically'to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the-various views, attention is directed first :to Figures 1 and 2, wherein it will be seen that :there is indicated at It! the body of an automotive vehicle with the trunk compartment H thereof extending forwardly of the extreme :re r portion of the top 12 to the seat I 3, thus providing interiorly of the body the shelf or ledge M behind'thefieat and a ve the trunk compar ment The trend o moder automo ile bod e is. t o tion the, seat iforward y'or therear wheels 15 for permi ting both l werin and widening of said seat which necessarily increases thesize ojithetrunk compartment in arorJward direction. It is in inw incre se ba a space o th trunk compartment located substantially over and between the rear wheels that the main unit of my improved sanding device, indicated generally by the numeral i6, is especially designed for placement.

The automobile body is mounted on or otherwise supported by longitudinally extending members I! of an underframe and has the trunk compartment H thereof also provided with a floor l8, a front wall l9 directly in back of the seat 13, deck 23, and hinged deck lid 26. Most bodies have the deck lid hinged to the deck by a pair of spaced hinges within the trunk compartment and therefore require a guard 22 about each hinge to protect baggage in the trunk compartment against engagement with said hinges during opening and closing of said compartment.

The improved sanding device forming the subject of this invention consists of the main sand containing and dispensing unit l6 which as previously stated is located in the forwardmost space allotted for baggage in the trunk compartment, sand delivering conduits 23 bent or formed in shapes to avoid structural parts of the automotive vehicle and to extend from the main unit 16 to locations directly in front of the rear wheels 15, and a control mechanism 24 connected to the main unit [3 and operable from the drivers seat of the vehicle for placing the device into and out of operation and for varying the amount of sand dispersed during operation thereof.

Reference is now also made to Figures 3, a, 5, and 6 for an understanding of the construction of the sand containing and dispensing unit lb of the sanding device.

The unit 16 has a sand hopper 25 constructed of sheet metal with one wall 23 thereof extending substantially vertical and attached to the forward wall 19 of the trunk compartment H, as at 21, while the side walls 28 and 23 and the rear wall 30 are inclined as they extend downwardly to a relatively small rectangular bottom 3 l. On the opposite side walls 28 and 29 are secured tabs 32 for attachment to the guards 22 of the deck lid hinges. While the substantially vertical forward wall 26 of the sand hopper is located in close proximity to the forward wall E3 of the trunk compartment and the major portion of the open top of the hopper is below the ledge or shelf 14 and deck 23, the angle of inclination of the rear wall 30 of the hopper is such that a portion of said open top projects rearwardly into opening to the trunk compartment a sufficient distance to permit replenishing of sand to the hopper.

Should the unit l6 be of the type for attachment to an automotive vehicle after the manufacture thereof, metal screws may be used for supporting the hopper from the wall I!) and guards 22; however, should the unit be a part of the automotive vehicle body during the construction thereof, the walls of the hopper may be made of parts of the body construction.

The rectangular bottom is constructed of relatively heavier material than are the walls of the hopper and has attached thereto and supported thereby a rectangular block 33 milled and drilled to form the main body portion of the previously mentioned sand dispensing mechanism. Screws 34 extending downwardly through apertures in the bottom 3! of the hopper and threaded into the block 33 comprise the means of attaching and supporting the block 33 to the hopper 25. Thus; hoppers-of different sizes and shapes due to the size and construction of trunk compartments of different makes of automotive vehicles may be used with a standard design of sand dispensing mechanism.

To provide a sand and air mixing chamber 35 in the block, the lower portion of one side and adjoining portion of the bottom of said block are cut away the greater portions of the length, width, and height of said block, leaving merely attaching surfaces on said side and bottom completely surrounding said cut-away to which is attached, as at 36, an angle member 31 completely covering said side and bottom that have been cut away.

A cylindrical hole 38 extending lengthwise in the block through the undisturbed ends thereof and partly into the cut-away for the chamber 35 has rotatably mounted therein a valve pin 39 with a pair of parallel spaced transverse openings 40 therethrough for alignment with similar pairs of openings 3! and 32 in the block 33 and bottom 3| respectively upon turning movement of said pin, thus providing a rotary valve for controlling the flow of sand from the hopper 23 into opposite ends of the mixing chamber 35. In and adjacent one end of the valve pin 33 there is provided an annular groove 33 into which extends a tapered pin lid driven into a similarly shaped hole in the block 33 for preventing end movement of the valve pin 39 during turning movement thereof. When the bottom 3| of the hopper is attached to the block 33, the tapered pin 44 is prevented from movement out of engagement in the groove 33 should it become loose.

On the portion of the angle 31 bolted to the side or" the block 33, there is attached by welding, brazing, or the like, one end of a relatively large right angularly curved air conduit 45 that opens into the mixing chamber 33, while the other end of said conduit is formed with an enlarged cone-shaped portion 46 which in turn is connected to a relatively large cylindrical hensing portion 41. Within the cylindrical housing 41 is mounted an electric motor 48 which rotates a fan 39 for drawing air into the cylindrical housing 41 and forcing said air around the motor, through the cone portion 63 and curved conduit 45, and into the mixing chamber 35, thus producing a blower. The location of the entrance of air from the conduit 45 into the mixing chamber 35 is substantially midway between the two entrances of sand through the openings 40 into the mixing chamber.

On the other portion of the angle 31 which closes the bottom of the mixing chamber 35 is attached a pair of diverging sand and air stub conduits 39, each of which opens into the mixing chamber directly beneath an entrance of sand into the chamber. It is to the ends of these stub conduits 50 that the sand delivering conduits 23 extending through apertures in the floor N3 of the trunk compartment are connected. The ends of the conduits 23 are shown within the split ends 51 of the conduits 58 and held in such positions by clamps 52 closing the split ends 51 thereon. While I have shown the conduits 23 within the conduits 50, it is to be understood that the ends of the conduits 23 may be split and clamped over the ends of smaller stub conduits 53.

A reduced end of the valve pin 39 extends for a short distance beyond one end of the block 33 and has attached thereto by a set-screw 53 an enlarged collar 53 with an arm 55 projecting radially therefrom for turning the valve pin in the block 33. Connected to the outer endof .the

aerator ar s .5 at 5.5 meted 9i a. r lativ y Stiff w re 1 extend n he it th e d oi flexible ube 533; thro h. hit said W slidably sunno e -v 'th nd. f the tube. s fired to. t e. floor. 8 of he t unk com rtment a ter exten n t u h an pertur aid. @9 2 n. a. e i m n leme t as. show a e fl xibl ube. at. th he w e 51 he ein exte forwardly oi he vehi e a shown in F r an v cemen d: t the instrum nt board of the le. while. t e he ein. i connected t a ma perat d u ton 6.0 imilttr in c on t tha used a hok for an n ine. Thu w en, he buttons 6 is. p l ed out or p d n he wir 5. will. h $1191. in, the b ,8 a h rm moved-t0, rn hev lyepin o co i t ro pi g- Q sand from. he hopper into the mixing chamber.

Secured by the screws 6| to the end of the block 33 from which the reduced end of the valve pin 39 extends is a flange 52 of a bracket 63 that threadably supports an' adjustable stop 64, for limiting downward swinging movement of the arm 55 whenthe rotary sand valve is'in its extreme open position, while connected to said arm and to the forward wall 26 of the sand hopper for yieldably holding said arm in raised position with the valve closed is a spring 65.

The spring 65 may be ot sufiicient strength to exert enough pull toalways close the valve when 50 at the instrument board is released the button or may be merely for the purpose of lifting-the arm 55 and operating the valve to a closed position and thereby depending on a manual pushing action on the button 6,0 toovercome friction of the wire 5! in the flexible tube 58. The use of a spring with the last-mentioned amount of tension would permit the sand valve to remain fully or partly open upon release of the manually, operated button Gil when the valve is in such open position.

Also mounted on the bracket 63 is a microswitch 65 with the spring urged circuit making and breaking plunger 61 thereof positioned to be engaged and depressed by the collar 54 upon downward motion of the arm 55 to open the sand valve 39. The collar 54 has the outer cylindrical surface thereof interrupted with a flat portion 68 into which the plunger 61 is permitted to project and open the switch when the arm is in a position with the sand valve closed.

Connected to terminals 69 of the micro-switch 65 is one wire 19 leading to a source of current (not shown) and another wire H connected to a terminal on the motor 48 of the blower, while a third wire 72 also connected to the motor 48 and to the source of current will complete a circuit to the motor when the micro-switch is closed by depressing the plunger 61 thereof. Thus, as soon as the arm 55 is swung in a downward direction to partly or entirely open the sand valve, a circuit is closed to the motor of the blower.

For supporting the weight of the blower independent of the support of the remaining structure, a U-shaped bracket 73 is provided which has a number of spaced holes 14 in the two parallel leg portions 15 thereof, any .of which may be selected for adjustment to insert metal screws 16 therethrough and into the cylindrical housing 47 for attaching the bracket to the housing. The portion 17 of the bracket which joins the two legs 75 thereof also is attached by metal screws 18 to a structural part of the vehicle, for example, the floor 8|, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

As previously stated, the location of the sand qqn ainine and d sh nsmg un t engthwise or the automotive vehicle and" with respect to, the o tion oi e r ar w eel .I the eq i uch h he sand. d iv ine duit '3 need" n y to extend substantially sideways of the vehicle as they diverge; downwardly to locations forward of said, rear wheels. However, due to various locations of s r ctur a t i i e t makes of. tomotiye vehicles, it is necessary that the conduits 2;? be formed in various shapes to avoid such, s uctural. parts ndi e. supoqli don a Part that: does p hav o em n with. re pe t. to the b y o he e icl h re ore. ha e ro ided clip 19 o e. at ached nthe nde sides of the 10.11- e t d na y ex nd ng members I17 Offiihe. unde tame for e gin about th conduits. '3 o. s p.- leorli Same nea he r sand dispersing: ends,

By efe rin to i ure 2, it iltbe observed that: the free ends of he conduits .3 e s gh ly. flattehe s a o ova sha s o s sectiontor n qdueihs. a spray of sandotsr ater widththan. the hei ht, here to. assure that. send. will; be htay d o h des. o he wh ls as Well. as in: advance thereof.

Wh le} a s ow a d desc ibed a andcontaining and dispensing unit 1670i a. construction for attachment to an automotive vehicle after the manufacture of'the vehicle witha sandhopper of a sizev and shape for one make of vehicle, it is to be understoodthat the hopper, which is, the supporting element for the dispensing mechanism, may be built into the body of the vehicle during I the manufacture of said body and may beof any size or shape that will feedsandto the dispensing mechanism. For example; the sand? hopper could'beof' such a size and shape that the dispensing mechanism supported thereby-instead of being slightly above the floor of the trunk compartment as-shown, could be located at a muchhigher elevation, thereby giving-=- greater inclination to the: sand deliveringcon-- duits 23 as they leadl from the diverging -stub conduits 50 to the points of sand dispersement.

From the foregoing, the construction of the sanding device will now be readily understood, and the operation thereof is as follows:

Operation Assuming that the hopper 25 has dry, finely sifted sand therein and it is desired to obtain greater traction of the drive wheels of the vehicle with the roadway and thereby prevent skidding or spinning of the wheels, the mere pulling outward of the button 683 at the instrument board will cause sand under air pressure to be sprayed to the roadway and drive wheels directly in advance of contact of the wheels with the road way.

Upon manual pulling of the button 60, the wire 51 is slid in the flexible tube 58 which pulls the arm 55 downwardly to register the ports 40 in the rotary valve with the openings 4| and 42 leading to the interior of the hopper thereby permitting sand to drop from the hopper into the opposite ends of the mixing chamber 35 directly over and into the opening to the stub conduits 50. Downward movement of the arm 55 also contacts the collar 5d of said arm with the plunger 61 of the micro-switch 66 and causes the plunger to be cammed inwardly closing the circuit to the motor 48 of the blower, which forces air under pressure into the mixing chamber 35 from one side thereof against the opposite side and between the two columns of dropping sand for maintaining like amounts of sand in opposite ends of the chamber and forcing the sand into and through the diverging stub conduits 50 and through the conduits 23.

As previously stated, the spring 65 may be of such strength that it will pull the arm 55 upward to close the sand valve and break the circuit to the motor of the blower upon release of the button 60 or may be of a tension not sufiicient to overcome the friction of the wire 51 in the flexible tube 50, thereby causing the sanding device to remain in operation upon release of the button 60 and requiring that the button be pushed in to cause sanding device to cease operating.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation, and advantages of the sanding device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art, and that a more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made Without departing from the spirit and full intendment of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A sanding device for automotive vehicles comprising a sand hopper, a common air and sand mixing chamber beneath said hopper having an outlet opening at each end thereof, a rotary valve pin between said hopper and mixing chamber having a pair of spaced ports therein registrable with said hopper and in communication at all times with said mixing chamber through which columns of sand from said hopper drop into opposite ends of said mixing chamber at said outlet openings, conduits extending from said outlet openings to wheels of the vehicle, and a blower for supplying air under pressure to said mixing chamber between the two columns of sand dropping into the mixing chamber.

2. A sanding device for automotive vehicles comprising a sand hopper, an elognated air and sand mixing chamber beneath said hopper having an outlet opening at each end thereof, a rotary valve pin extending lengthwise of said mixing chamber beneath said hopper and partially arranged within said mixing chamber, said valve pin having a pair of spaced ports therein registrable with said hopper and in communication at all times with said mixing chamber through which columns of sand from said hopper drop into opposite ends of said mixing chamber at said outlet openings, conduits extending from said outlet openings to wheels of the vehicle, and a blower for supplying air under pressure to said mixing chamber, said air being directed against the underside of said valve pin and between the two columns of sand dropping into the mixing chamber.

LOUIS A. WERBE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,081,477 Williams Dec. 18, 1913 1,235,410 Alheitt July 31, 1917 1,277,333 Meakin Aug. 27, 1913 1,354,570 Lamping Oct. 5, 1920 1,646,130 Waite Oct. 18, 1927 1,657,960 Ficana Jan. 31, 1928 1,765,772 Reese June 24, 1930 1,784,832 Florian Dec. 16, 1930 1,350,795 Hoilman Mar. 22, 1932 1,955,307 Morrison et a1 Apr. 17, 1934 2,033,322 Boyer Mar. 10, 1936 2,154,340 Legofi et al Apr. 11, 1939 2,207,169 Todd July 9, 1940 2,239,513 Gleason Apr. 22, 1941 2,244,069 Kook et al June 3, 1941 2,307,798 Kook et al. Jan. 12, 1943 

